Raunchy – Vices. Virtues. Visions.

This release marks the bands sixth full length offering, and their first since signing to German label, Massacre Records. Couple that with the fact that the album is also the first to feature the vocal talents of Mike Semesky, and you immediately get the impression that this is a group of musicians fully re-energised, and chomping at the bit to get out into the big wide world.

Billed rather oddly as ’Modern Thrash Metal’, Raunchy, in my opinion anyway, are a band that are very hard, if not impossible to pigeon hole and constrain to a particular generic genre of music. Moreover, I found the album covered a lot of ground in terms of stylistic performance and delivery. Excellent progressive elements in the vein of Scar Symmetry, incredibly uplifting, bounce along feel good songs not too dissimilar to bands such as Amaranthe for an example, and crushingly heavy riffs with machine gun tempo tracks that fly with the best of them.

Opening track ‘Eyes Of A Storm’, builds deceptively slowly before throwing you against a brick wall, picking you up, giving you a little cuddle, then throwing you through the air again. If ever a track deserved to be the first on an album, then this is it, showing a really good chunk of what the band are about, and endeavouring to achieve with their music. Honestly, if this was the only track on the album, I would still buy it. Not that the release is a one  track wonder by any stretch of the imagination though, ‘Truth Taker’, does not let the needle dip below the redline at all, if anything, it gets even heavier. I loved the constant switch between scream and clean vocal on this album, perfectly balanced and incredibly well delivered throughout. The seamless transition from bone melting, stunningly heavy riffs, to softer, ambient and in places gloriously commercially tinged synth, is just fantastic and a joy to listen to. An album that could be described as being a bit like a bag full of cats, in that it refuses to follow a straight path, or conform to some stereotypical format, instead, daring to break moulds, to sound out new and exciting avenues, to fly in the face of musical stagnation, or to put it simply, is just bloody good to listen to.

Picking highlights from this crop is nigh impossible, a bit like choosing your favourite from a box of chocolates really, you might go for one first but in the end, you just know you are going to eat the whole lot and make yourself sick.

I must mention the production as well here, Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Doro, Epica..) has come up with yet another masterpiece, allowing both power and melody to shine together in perfect harmony, keeping me, the listener, fully engaged throughout the albums not inconsiderable length (63 minutes).

I genuinely hope that people pick up on this album, at least give it a listen, where you go with it from there is purely a case of personal taste. From my corner, if an album can lift me up, make me want to dance and smash things, then it is a winner, if not a tad embarrassing when it happens in the middle of Asda I grant you but such is life.

Track Listing;

1. Eyes Of A Storm
2. Truth Taker
3. Digital Dreamer
4. Never Enough
5. The Castaway Crown
6. Anasthesia Throne
7. Luxuria
8. I, Avarice
9. Frozen Earth
10. Clarity
11. The Singularity Heart
12. Nght Prty (Drop RMX) Digipak Bonus Track

Raunchy are;

Mike Semesky – Vocals
Morten Toft Hansen – Drums
Jesper Tilsted – Guitar/Synth
Lars Christensen – Guitar
Jeppe Christensen – Vocal/Synth
Jesper Kvist – Bass

Vices.Virtues.Visions is out now via Massacre Records  

http://www.massacre-records.de/

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